Full Circle Issue 7: Top 5 Audio/Video Apps
Written by Andrew Min
Audacity
Homepage: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Audacity is a simple yet powerful digital audio editor. Started as a basic editor by Dominic Mazzoni during graduate school, Audacity has grown to include features such as up to 16 channels of recording, 16, 24, and 32 bit samples, rates up to 96 KHz, easy copying and pasting, unlimited undos, mixing, plug-ins, effects, support for plugins written in LADSPA, VST, and Nyquist, and boasts WAV, AIFF, MP3 (using LAME), FLAC, and OGG support. It's no wonder it won the Best Project for Multimedia prize in the 2007 SourceForge.net Community Choice Awards.
To install Audacity, just grab the audacity package in the Universe repository.
LMMS
Homepage: http://lmms.sourceforge.net/
LMMS (Linux MultiMedia Studio) is another great all-purpose sound editor. Similar to the commercial Cubase or FL Studio, LMMS combines a powerful synthesizer with a great tracker/sequencer program to create an amazing audio editor. With it, you can also capture input from MIDI keyboards, write music with a great song editor, add loops or beats, or use plugins for LADSPA and Cubase (with WINE). All wrapped into a powerful yet easy to use Qt-based GUI.
To install LMMS, all you need to do is get the lmms package in the Universe repository.
LiVES
Homepage: http://lives.sourceforge.net/
If video editing is more your style, try out LiVES. It's a powerful tool that mixes a real-time editor and a non-linear editor into one package. Throw in some nice add-ons, scripts, filters, and support for virtually any format (it uses MPlayer), and you've just scratched the surface of what it is capable of.
Although LiVES is one of the greatest Ubuntu editors, it didn't make it into the Ubuntu repositories. Luckily, GetDeb.net has a package at http://www.getdeb.net/app.php?name=LiVES.
Avidemux
Homepage: http://www.avidemux.org/
Avidemux was created for those who don't need the kitchen sink in their video editor. Instead, Avidemux offers a simple interface with features such as cutting/appending clips, filters, support for encoding and decoding all the popular formats (including AVI, ASF, QuickTime, MPEG, and WMV), muxing (and demuxing) support, OCR subtitles, and scripting using ECMAScript. And if you're a Kubuntu user, you'll be glad to learn that the new version includes a Qt version along with the default GTK.
avidemux is included in Ubuntu's Multiverse repository.
Kdenlive
Homepage: http://www.kdenlive.org/
If you're a Kubuntu user, you'll want to try Kdenlive. This non-linear video editor includes full FFMPEG support (so it will import and export virtually any format you throw at it, including AVI, MPEG, OGG, and VOB), 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, PAL and NTSC format support, DVD burning, multi-track editing, basic audio and video effects and transitions (with real-time previews), slideshows, and more. All in a rich KDE interface supporting ten different languages.
To install Kdenlive, just install the kdenlive package in the universe repository.
